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Friday, April 29, 2011

I used to love the Carl Douglas song "Kung Fu Fighting". Brit Simon Ledger (34) still does; he sings the disco classic as part of his set at the Driftwood Beach Bar in Sandown, Isle of Wight. But who knows if he'll continue singing the funky, 1974 'Number 1' song after being arrested for racial abuse. Yes, some 32-year-old guy of Chinese descent took offense to the song as he passed by the pub with his mum. According to Ledger the guy called them "..w*****s and did the hand sign", then took a cell phone pic of Simon, called the police and Ledger was arrested at a Chinese restaurant. He is now being investigated for "...an allegation of racially-aggravated harassment."

Racially aggravated harassment? Good grief.

And now, because of some bizarrely oversensitive individual, and a country that is way over the top when it comes to political correctness, Ledger could wind up with a criminal record for no valid reason whatsoever. Simon claims this is the first time anyone of Chinese descent has ever been offended by the pretty innocuous song, and that people usually love it.

At first he thought "it was a joke" but no, the police were very serious. Ledger added that "They seemed pretty amazed but said the law is the law and it was their duty. It's political correctness gone potty." What amazes me is that the police even bothered to investigate an obviously dubious allegation. So now singers have to be aware of offending others with lyrics to the songs they sing? Where will it end? Will they start arresting actors for offending people, too? Simon put it very well: "There are plenty of Welsh people at our shows - does it mean I can't play any Tom Jones?"

Simon has been out on bail, but is now due to speak to police about the whole fiasco. Hopefully, he won't face any criminal action, but in England, who knows.

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Thanks to Al Mutarjim of Translating Jihad, a full time Arab translator, we are privy to information like the following fatwa against democracy in favor of Shariah from none other than an American Muslim.

According to Brigitte Gabriel's Act For America, this is the same organization (Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America) that sanctions 'marital rape'.

Translated from the website of Dr. Salah al-Sawy, the secretary-general of the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA), 28 March 2011.

Between the Shura and Democracy

Q: What is the difference between the Shura and democracy, and which is preferred? Are there any books which could benefit me on this topic? May Allah reward you well.

A: In the name of Allah, the most merciful and gracious.

Praise be to Allah, and peace be upon him the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family, companions, and those that follow him. The Shura comes from the rulings of the shari'a, and an entire surah of the Qur'an was sent down with this name. The difference between it and democracy is that the Shura does not exist (under Islam) except in the areas of permissible actions or legislative amnesty. For things which have been stipulated in the texts of Islam, the Ummah possesses no power except to acknowledge and obey, following the saying of the Most High: "It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path" [Qur'an 33:36]. For example, it is not for the Shura to consider, "Should the noon prayer contain four or five bows?" Or, "Should we fast during the month of Ramadan, or should we replace it with the month of Shawwal?" Or, "Should we forbid wine or allow it?" Or, "Should we forbid adultery, or permit it if it's done by consensual agreement of those who have reached the legal age, and it's not done on the married couple's bed?"

Al-Bukhari said in his Sahih: "The Imams after the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) would consult the trustworthy scholars in things which were permissible, to take the best option. But if the Qur'an or the Sunnah was clear on the matter, they wouldn't transgress against it, following the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The reciters of the Qur'an would consult, whether old or young, and they were careful to adhere to the book of Almighty Allah."

But democracy gives free reign to the authority of the Ummah, and puts no ceiling on it. The law is the expression of its will, and if the law says it, the conscience must be silent! A constitutionalist even said: "We have departed from the divine right to rule for kings, and replaced it with the divine right to rule for parliaments!" The shari'a, on the other hand, differentiates between the source of the legal system and the source of the political authority. The source of the legal system is the shari'a, while the source of the political authority is the Ummah. Meanwhile democracy makes the Ummah the source of both. On my website there is a book named "Political Pluralism." If you review it, it will you benefit you in regards to this topic, Allah-willing. Allah Almighty is all-powerful, all-knowing.

Saturday, April 02, 2011

Few people are taking the threat of Islamic radicalization very seriously, in spite of the fact that it is occurring all over this country. One would think that those who would most easily fall prey to radicalization would reside in areas like Dearborn, Michigan, considered the Muslim capital of America. But that's not the case- Nashville, Tennessee, home of country music and the Grand Ole Opry, and smack dab in the middle of the 'Bible Belt', has the dubious honor of being the city where Carlos Bledsoe, now known as Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, turned into a cold blooded killer.

Born into a Baptist family, 23-year-old Carlos went to Tennessee State University, converted to Islam, was radicalized by local extremist leaders, made his obligatory trek to Yemen, learned the tricks of the terrorist trade, came back to the U.S. and wound up murdering 23-year-old Private William Long, on June 6, 2009, outside an Army recruitment center in Little Rock, Arkansas. He injured one other Army recruiter, and had planned on targeting Jewish organizations, a child care center, a post office and other recruitment centers in other states.

Before and after photos of Carlos are quite telling, as is his justification for killing Private Long:

"I don't think it was murder. Because murder is when a person kills another person without justified reason....and what I did is Islamic justified, and also justified by common sense, you know. U.S. soldiers are killing innocent Muslim men and women, and we believe that we have to strike back."

An upcoming documentary film, entitled "Losing Our Sons", produced by Americans For Peace and Tolerance (APT) tells the tragic tale of Carlos' journey from good son to jihadi killer. APT is an organization of Christians, Muslims and Jews "... dedicated to promoting peaceful coexistence in a ethnically diverse America by educating the American public about the need for a moderate political leadership that supports tolerance and core American values in communities across the nation."

The film

.. will reveal how radical Islam dominates the leadership of the Muslim American community in Nashville; and how misguided government and university officials, the media, as well as civic and religious leaders failed to acknowledge, intervene, or report clear indications of Islamist radicalization in the community.

APT has been working with grassroots community groups in support of local efforts to educate the public about the threat to American civil society from the radicalization of America's historically moderate Muslim community. This effort includes empowering truly moderate Muslims to reclaim their community.

You can view the trailer below. Hopefully, this will open people's eyes because thinking it's not a problem doesn't make it so. Carlos' father, Melvin Bledsoe, is devastated and has effortlessly tried to make people aware of what happened to his son on an American university campus. Apparenly not many seemed to care, and even his attempt to share his concerns at Republican Congressman Peter King's hearing on the radicalization of American Muslims for the Homeland Security Committee fell on deaf ears.

Friday, April 01, 2011

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor apparently hosted an event last night featuring conservationists, activists, commercial fishermen and others in Alaska opposed to a multi-national gold mine planned near Bristol Bay. What this group of people oppose is the potential pollution that an open-pit mine could create. And understandably so, considering Bristol Bay has a huge salmon run. Polluting waters in Bristol Bay could be harmful to the whole salmon industry. However, what has many up in arms is the fact that O'Connor's guest-of-honor was none other than the EPA's head honcho Lisa Jackson. Doesn't seem quite kosher. For more information click here, and here.